The key to creating a destination wedding that no one will ever forget is to take the palm trees, ski slopes, or skyline out of the equation and think of your location as a blank canvas.

As you begin to fill it in, keep these three questions in mind: How can I make it feel like us? How can I make it unique? How can I make my guests completely comfortable? Here, 38 inspiring ideas to help you get started.

1. Build Their Excitement 
A few weeks before the wedding, send each of your guests a teaser via snail mail to get them excited for the upcoming trip. Some ideas: a guidebook with the location of your wedding bookmarked, or a gift that's super specific to your destination -- a fresh lei, a beautiful shell, a bag of gourmet coffee beans, or a bottle of local vino.

2. Help Them Pack 
Add a section to your wedding website that makes prepping for the trip a piece of cake. In addition to giving guests a heads-up about all the special events they'll be attending, include dress-code information and a list of things they won't want to leave home without, such as sneakers or snow boots (if you have any hikes or nature walks planned), sunscreen (if the hotel doesn't provide it), and a shawl (if you're jetting off to a steamy location that's cool at night). It's a nice and organized way to lend a helping hand while giving them a sneak peek at the weekend's events.

3. Provide First-Class Transportation
Arrange for a van to pick your guests up from the airport and shuttle them to the resort. If possible, hire a guide who knows a lot about the area for a special touch. Guests will be able to ask questions, get a free history lesson, and sightsee as they make their way to the hotel. For extra credit, hang a welcome sign in the van's window -- it's sure to elicit smiles from plane-weary travelers.

4. Give a Warm Welcome
It's all about the details: Place a pretty framed poster at the reception desk to greet guests as they check in, and appoint a "Wedding Concierge" (it can even be your planner) to answer any questions your guests might have. Just be sure to give him or her a title-bearing button so guests know who to look for. Get a full page of our city, country, and sea motif patterns for wrapping favors, lining envelopes, etc.

5. Quench Their Thirst
After a long day of traveling, it's hard to resist a few sips of something delicious. Have the front desk welcome guests at check-in with a beverage: hot cocoa or mulled cider in a chilly locale, sparkling cider (or, what the heck, a glass of champagne) in a city, and an Arnold Palmer or chilled cucumber water at the beach. A table stocked with cool, moist, lemon-scented towels is especially refreshing. To satisfy the littlest (and likely the grumpiest) travelers, instruct greeters to make the drinks extra special for kids. Just have them embellish the glasses with a bendy-straw, colorful umbrella, skewer of tropical fruit, handful of tiny marshmallows, or dollop of whipped cream.

6. Connect Them 
Ask hotel staffers to have your guests add their room numbers to our "Looking for Someone" phone list at check-in. The directory will be kept at the front desk throughout the weekend, and your guests will be able to access it when they need to track someone down. Make some extras, and give them to your wedding party, family, and wedding planner to have on hand wherever they are.